twinkle

Englisch

Etymology

From Middle English twinclen, twynclen, from Old English twinclian (“to twinkle”), equivalent to twink (“to wink; blink; twinkle”) +‎ -le (frequentative suffix). Compare German zwinkern (“to wink; twinkle”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtwɪŋkl̩/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪŋkəl

Verb

twinkle (third-person singular simple present twinkl, present participle ing, simple past and past participle twinkled)

1. (of a source of light) to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer

   We could see the lights of the village twinkling in the distance.

   • (Can we date this quote by Sir Isaac Newton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     These stars do not twinkle when viewed through telescopes that have large apertures.

   • 1814 July 7, [Walter Scott], Waverley; or, ’Tis Sixty Years Since. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh:  […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC:

     The western sky twinkled with stars.

2. (chiefly of eyes) to be bright with delight

   Synonym: sparkle

   His shrewd little eyes twinkled roguishly.

3. to bat, blink oder wink the eyes
   • 1922, Mrs. Juliet M. Hueffer Soskice, Chapters from Childhood: Reminiscences of an Artist's Granddaughter, page 165

     She smiled and gave a little nod and twinkled her eyes […]

   • 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC:

     The Owl Fell a Moping and Twinkling.

4. to flit to and fro
   • 1988, Dorothy Gilman, Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle, page 190

     A butterfly twinkled among the vines […]

Synonyms

• glimmer
• scintillate
• wink

Derived terms

• twinkler

Translations

to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer

• Arabic: لَأْلَأَ (laʔlaʔa)
• Armenian: առկայծել (hy) (aṙkaycel), փայլատակել (hy) (pʻaylatakel)
• Azerbaijani: sayrışmaq
• Czech: blikat (cs) impf
• Danish: skinne
• Esperanto: brili (eo)
• Finnish: tuikkia (fi)
• French: briller (fr)
• Georgian: ციმციმებს (cimcimebs), იელვებს (ielvebs), კრთის (ḳrtis), კრთება (ḳrteba), ბჟუტავს (bžuṭavs), ციალებს (cialebs), კამკამებს (ḳamḳamebs), კიაფობს (ḳiapobs)
• Hebrew: נצנץ (nitsnéts)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: micō (la)
• Maori: rikoriko, rikoriko, kikiwa, hinātore, taukapo (of a star), whakawhetū (like a star)
• Navajo: dah dinisxǫs
• Old English: blīcan
• Polish: migotać (pl)
• Portuguese: cintilar (pt), tremeluzir
• Quechua: chinpiy
• Russian: мерца́ть (ru) impf (mercátʹ)
• Spanish: titilar (es)

to be bright with delight

• Danish: skinne
• Finnish: säihkyä, tuikkia (fi)
• French: briller (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: сия́ть (ru) impf (sijátʹ)
• Spanish: fulgurar (es), refulgir (es)

to bat, blink or wink the eyes

• Danish: blinke
• Finnish: vilkuttaa
• French: cligner (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: zwinkern (de)
• Russian: мига́ть (ru) (migátʹ)

to flit to and fro

• Danish: fare (da)
• Finnish: pyrähdellä (fi)
• French: virevolter (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: порха́ть (ru) (porxátʹ), порха́ть туда́-сюда́ impf (porxátʹ tudá-sjudá)

Nomen

twinkle (plural twinkles)

1. a sparkle or glimmer of light
   • 1980, Robert De Beaugrande, Text, Discourse, and Process

     Soon the rocket was out of sight, and the flame was only seen as a tiny twinkle of light.

2. a sparkle of delight in the eyes.

   He was a rotund, jolly man with a twinkle in his eye.

3. a flitting movement
   • 1848, James Russell Lowell, Hebe

     I saw the twinkle of white feet,

4. (colloquial) A brief moment; a twinkling.
5. (childish) The female genitalia.

   The popular Swedish cartoon song about genitals was translated as "Willie and Twinkle".

Translations

sparkle or glimmer of light

• Armenian: առկայծում (hy) (aṙkaycum)
• Finnish: tuike, pilke (fi), välke (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Georgian: ციმციმი (cimcimi), ციალი (ciali), გაელვება (gaelveba), ელვარება (elvareba), აელვარება (aelvareba), კრთომა (ḳrtoma), გამოკრთომა (gamoḳrtoma), ბჟუტვა (bžuṭva), კვესა (ḳvesa), კამკამი (ḳamḳami), კაშკაში (ḳašḳaši), ბრწყინვა (brc̣q̇inva), კიაფი (ḳiapi)
• Russian: мерца́ние (ru) n (mercánije)

sparkle of delight in the eyes

• Finnish: pilke (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Georgian: ნაკვესი (naḳvesi)
• Russian: сия́ние (ru) n (sijánije)

flitting movement

• Russian: порха́ние (ru) n (porxánije)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}